LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JUNE 28: Macklin Celebrini is selected by the the San Jose Sharks with the first overall pick during the first round of the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Sphere on June 28, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. LAS VEGAS — After seeing their son, Macklin, be selected first overall by the San Jose Sharks on Friday at the NHL Draft, the Celebrini family planned to stay in town and leave Sunday morning.
“He’s a driven kid. He wants to be the best,” Grier said Friday night. “Whatever sport you’re around, myself growing up in football, playing in the and being around the league, the great players are driven. They want to learn all the time. They want to work on their game all the time, and Macklin’s definitely in that mold.”
There is no question Rick Celebrini wants to see Macklin have the best chance to succeed if he turns pro immediately. That means surrounding him with the right type of players to help his adjustment to pro hockey – on and off the ice. “Whether that means that there’s some experienced players around that can buffer them and support them and guide them and teach them and that there’s other things in place that allow for that.